Dunkirk council moves rate forward

After a one-year delay, city officials are moving forward with a plan to implement a stormwater utility rate.  

Dunkirk City Council gave initial approval Monday to assess a $10 monthly stormwater utility fee for every parcel of land in city limits.

A public hearing and second council vote are required before the fee goes into effect.

The proposed ordinance has been in the works since 2019 and was originally intended to go into effect in 2020. However, in light of water and sewage utility increases and the coronavirus pandemic, council elected to wait until this year to implement the new utility rate.

“I think it’s time we need to get our stormwater rate started up and know what it’s going to cost the residents,” said Dunkirk Mayor Jack Robbins.

The purpose of the proposed rate is to cover the operating costs of maintaining the stormwater systems in the city, estimated at about $50,000 annually. The stormwater utility fund would also accumulate, allowing the city to pay for needed upgrades to the system. According to the city’s master plan, there are $2 million worth of repairs needed over the next few years, including replacing storm sewers, improving the retention pond and updating the GPS and GIS databases.

“Your fee, stormwater rate, should be based on the needs of your stormwater utility,” said Doug Baldessari of Baker Tilly, the accounting and consulting firm that was contracted to complete the stormwater utility study. 

While water and sewage utilities are based on usage, stormwater rates are typically based on the impervious areas of each parcel of land. Impervious surfaces, such as concrete driveways, do not allow water to seep into the ground; instead, the water runs off into the city’s stormwater system. Typically, residential lots are charged a flat stormwater rate and non-residential parcels’ impervious areas are assessed and charged accordingly.

Implementing the utility fee will cost the city an estimated $50,000 each year for the first two years, including a study to determine the impervious areas of each non-residential parcel. Together with the normal operating costs of the stormwater system, the city will spend about $100,000 each year on the stormwater utility during the first two years. 

With the $5 and $7.50 monthly plans (adjusted to account for about 20% of uncollectible fees), the city won’t “break even” on the fee until the third year. The $5 monthly fee would result in a deficit of about $36,000, while the $7.50 would lead to a deficit of about $4,000.

“For the first two years, basically, the money’s going to the set-up,” noted council president Jesse Bivens. “We’re going to have to do $7.50 or $10 to make anywhere close to where we’re thinking.”

Ultimately, council decided on a $10 monthly fee. They also chose to have the fees assessed on biannual property tax bills as opposed to monthly utility bills.

A public hearing for the stormwater rate will be at council’s next meeting on March 8.

In other business, council members Tom Johnson, Lisa Street, Kevin Hamilton and Bivens, absent Bryan Jessup:

•Canceled several outstanding utility debts that cannot be collected because of death or property transfers.

•Paid claims of $182,309.63.

•At Dunkirk Board of Works and Public Safety’s meeting earlier Monday, Robbins commended city employees for their work to clear the streets and sidewalks during recent snowstorms. The city has been without a salt spreader for the past two weeks after a chain broke, resulting in employees spreading salt by hand. The board also heard that Robbins will be looking into grants to purchase body cameras for Dunkirk Police Department.